


Where the Stars Touch the Sea

by LizAnn_5869



Series: Summer Love [2]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Beach Vacation, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Heat and humidity, Love, Original Characters - Freeform, Post-Episode: s04e13 Journey's End, Road Trip, Sightseeing, Timepetalsprompts, Torchwood - Freeform, disgreements, garage sale, sand, summer fic bingo, tentoo and rose early days
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-30
Updated: 2017-08-28
Packaged: 2018-12-08 17:43:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 5,992
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11651526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LizAnn_5869/pseuds/LizAnn_5869
Summary: Tentoo and Rose, in their early days.  They're getting off to a rough start, so perhaps some summer traveling will help them get on track.





	1. Road Trip

**Author's Note:**

> For Timepetalprompts Summer Fic Bingo, and other prompts from Doctorroseprompts and other summer related prompts. This will be a story of short connected ficlets that work in the various prompts. Charleston, SC and the surrounding beaches are some of my favorite places in the world, and I've wanted to set a story for these lovebirds there for quite a while. Now seemed a good time! Enjoy!

The days following Bad Wolf Bay were a blur to both the Doctor and Rose. They returned home after a night in a hotel in Norway in which they held each other all night and tried to sleep. They woke frequently throughout the night to comfort each other after nightmares of fire and death and abandonment. They took off in a Torchwood zeppelin the next morning, painfully exhausted. They couldn’t sleep there, either. When they arrived in London, they wavered between anger and exhaustion and despondency.

They had to endure debriefing at Torchwood, followed by inventing an identity for the Doctor. The Torchwood doctors wanted to subject him to tests but Rose put her foot down. The Doctor had been disheartened by the whole process, and he retreated into his shell. Rose had never seen him like that, and it scared her. 

Jackie had wanted them to stay in the mansion. Rose declined. “We’ll take the guest house. We just need some time and space,” she had argued. The Doctor’s face had gone pale at her turn of phrase. She had given him an apologetic smile. He seemed to understand, but she still awakened alone in their new house the next morning.

They were cautious around each other, too cautious, each trying to process the whole experience. They went to bed in the same room, but he was too restless to spend the whole night there. She often found the Doctor reading or tinkering with the extra sonic he'd nicked. She feared the Doctor’s “if you want” would soon evolve into an “I'm so sorry, I can't.” 

Rose understood. She felt the need to run as well. She suggested the trip after two weeks of walking on eggshells around each other left them both dejected.

They didn't have the TARDIS’ randomizing control but they did have a dart and a huge map of the world. Giggling like a madman, the Doctor donned a blindfold and Rose spun him around, aiming him toward the map they'd pinned up on the wall. The dart landed on the southern East coast of the United States, near the city of Charleston, SC, and they decided that was as good a place as any to start their road trip.

“Another beach?” he asked. “Are you up for that?”

“It’s a different beach. And a chance to make some good memories. I'm up for it. Want to travel with me?”

The Doctor smiled brilliantly. “I always want to travel with you, Rose.”

They made their plans. The baby TARDIS would be fine at home in the tank. The Doctor had “enhanced” the guest house security so he could remotely monitor their small time ship. Pete immediately wanted him to develop something similar for Torchwood and the Doctor recoiled at the idea. Rose urged him to keep his mind open to the possibility. The Doctor reluctantly agreed, “But it'll be ages before I can regard that place as anything but what tore us apart.”

“The technology there brought us together,” she reminded him.

He couldn't argue with that, nor could he turn down the use of Pete’s private zeppelin. He still wasn't sold on the idea of working for Pete, though. However, they wouldn't have to think of that for three solid weeks as they traveled the United States.

On a sunny summer morning the Doctor and Rose checked into a beach resort a few miles outside of Charleston, South Carolina. It was the first time traveling completely alone since their days in the original TARDIS. Neither knew what to expect but they were both full of hope that the relationship they had both been dancing around for so long would finally move forward.


	2. Heat and Humidity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The weather affects the Doctor in ways it never used to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For Summer Fic Bingo's "Heat and Humidity" square.

The Doctor and Rose woke early, after the first nightmare-free night of sleep since arriving in that universe. Being away seemed to take a weight off of both their shoulders. Rose was happy to snuggle up to the Doctor, who had stayed in the bed with her. They kissed each other awake, until growling stomachs prompted them to get up and dress and go to the patio and eat breakfast.

They decided to spend the morning walking in the city, grabbing some lunch and later going back to the beach resort. The weather was hot and hazy, even in the early morning hours.

The Doctor had never seen weather described as “sultry” in a newspaper weather report, but it was the perfect description. The city was at least five degrees warmer than the beach had been. Stepping out of the air conditioning of their rented blue sports car onto the street was like walking into a solid wall of heat.

Rose looked appropriately cool and absolutely gorgeous in a sundress printed with pineapples, her hair pinned up in a messy bun. He was in his usual blue pinstripes, wondering why the hell he’d insisted on wearing it, despite bringing other clothes. _The pinstripes used to be appropriate for any weather conditions, from the Congo to the North Pole_ , he thought. Out loud, he found himself grousing, “Well, this is rubbish!”

“What is?” she asked, concerned.

“I'm sweaty,” he complained. “This heat and humidity. My body’s not experienced this reaction to this extent before, and it's annoying.”

“It's all a part of being human, I suppose,” she pointed out, rather unnecessarily, he thought.

“Don't remind me,” he bit out and immediately regretted it. “Oh...I'm sorry. So sorry. I didn't mean….”

Rose looked hurt. _Oh, wizard. That was smooth, dumbo,_ the Donna-voice in his head chided.

“We could pick you out some cooler clothes, I suppose,” she murmured.

The Doctor took both of Rose’s hands, kissing first the knuckles on the left, then the right. “I’m sorry. Still rude, and not ginger.”

Rose gave him a small smile. “I think you're a little more ginger than you were before.”

Pleased, the Doctor grinned, “Really? Brilliant.”

“I've been meanin’ to say. Anyway….there's a clothing store over there. Might find something cooler.”

“I suppose I should. The suit isn't...suitable….for any situation anymore. Pun completely intended.” He tried a smile but Rose could see the sadness behind his eyes. She cupped his cheek, her thumb stroking his sideburn. Even his hair was a little deflated in the heat. “Suppose I wore the suit in an attempt to….look..and feel... like myself.”

“Doctor, that suit doesn't make you you. Your amazing mind and your heart makes you who you are. You might feel more like yourself in the suit. But no matter what, you're the Doctor, and I love you.”

The Doctor’s throat tightened with emotion. He nodded, unable to speak. Finally he rasped out, “I love you.”

“I love you.  Let's get you sorted, love, shall we?” she murmured, kissing his lips gently.

In the end, they found some cooler clothes in the shop. She had to talk him into the cargo shorts, using her considerable powers of persuasion. “Just try it,” she smiled, with a well-timed eyelash flutter adding to her appeal.

His parsnips well and truly buttered, he ended up giving in. He liked the looks she was giving his bum, at any rate. The pockets on the shorts were handy, even if they weren't transdimensional. He could fix that soon enough, he supposed. He tried not to be too offended that she insisted on sunscreen for his blindingly pale legs.

Wearing a new pair of shorts and a soft blue t-shirt with his comfortable old maroon Chucks, the Doctor began his day again, determined to show Rose how much he loved traveling with her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a few chapters nearly ready to go, but I might not post again for a few days since school is starting up again, and next weekend will be quite busy!


	3. Garage Sale and Sightseeing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor makes a fun discovery while sightseeing with Rose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor and Rose continue to tour my favorite city in the United States, Charleston, SC.  
> For Summer Bingo prompts "sightseeing" and "garage sale."

“Look at this! Imagine finding...how much do you want for this?” The Doctor, in his excitement, couldn't decide to address Rose or the homeowner first, much less finish a sentence.

They'd walked around a residential neighborhood in Charleston, surrounded by gorgeous colonial homes. One home was having a garage sale, and there the Doctor had made the discovery of a straw hat. Specifically, a crickety, sporty hat that reminded him of a time in which celery was a viable fashion choice.

They haggled a bit but the Doctor was eager and perhaps paid more than it was worth. But as he excitedly placed the hat on his head, Rose knew it was money well spent.

They toured the park and made over the multicolored homes on Rainbow Row. Rose took many pictures. The Doctor had a moment of panic when the warm breeze nearly sent his hat flying into the water, but he managed to catch it. The surprised look on his face made that photo one of Rose’s favorites.

The Doctor took the camera from Rose and photographed her sitting on one of the cannons in the park. She gave him a cheeky smile and posed like a pinup girl, making him gulp.

They hadn't been intimate yet, aside from a few snogging sessions here and there since that first heart pounding kiss on the beach in Norway.

The Doctor planned to change that. No more dancing around the subject of dancing. But first on the to-do list was to reassure Rose.

After Rose hopped down from the cannon, linking her arm with his, the Doctor beamed at her. “Rose Tyler...I just wanted to tell you. Traveling with you, I love it.”

She gazed up at him. “Do you, then?”

“I do. And I always will. I love you.”

“I love you, too,” she murmured. “I didn't ever question that. I was wondering...how you were adjusting, though. Didn't feel like I could ask.”

“Rose, you can always ask,” he reassured her.

“Not going to tell me you're always all right?”

It was a valid question. Both were relieved that it had finally been asked. It didn't mean she'd get a straight answer from him, however. “Rose, I want you, and I want this life with you. I don't want you ever to think you can't talk to me.”

Rose smiled ruefully. “I don't doubt that you love me. You didn't answer my question, though.”

He sighed. “I won't promise that it'll be easy for me, this transition. But please, don't ever think I don't want to be with you. This life with you...it's all I've wanted. I love you, Rose Tyler. But I've been walking on eggshells around you because I wasn't sure it was what you wanted. You didn't exactly expect to end up in this situation, stuck here with me.”

“Well, I've been walking on eggshells because I wasn't sure this was what you wanted. And yeah, I was shocked to end up back here. But I don't feel stuck with you.”

“You're going to have to wait a while to travel the stars,” he cautioned.

“So will you,” she reminded him.

“As long as I have your hand to hold,” he squeezed her hand, smiling, “I really think we'll be fine.”

There was a pause, and both of them broke into identical grins. “Guess we better stomp some eggshells, hadn't we?”

“I've never been more ready to. And I wanna smash ‘em flat, Doctor. I want you. I'm tired of waiting. Aren't you?” Rose asked.

“Oh, yes, Rose Tyler,” he said, and the desire in his eyes took her breath away. He leaned in and she met him in the middle, and they set about kissing each other breathless, not caring that they were in a public park.

“Good for you, son! You're a lucky fella!” An elderly man was passing by, hand in hand with his wife. She smacked his arm with her free hand, laughing with embarrassment.

“Oh, don't I know it!” the Doctor called back. The man tipped him a salute and a smile and wandered off down the park path. He stopped briefly to kiss his wife.

Rose beamed up at the Doctor. He nodded toward the couple and promised, “We're gonna be them someday, Rose Tyler. Just you wait.”

“I plan on it, Doctor.”

 


	4. Fortune Cookie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A fortune cookie predicts adventure for the Doctor and Rose, but they have no idea how quickly that fortune will come true.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For Timepetalsprompts pic prompt: a fortune cookie reading "Many pleasurable and memorable adventures are in store for you." It took a bit of an angsty turn at the end, but don't worry, it will be resolved....

“M’sorry, m’am, but we've run out of these. We only have one for the both of y’all,” the waitress said apologetically, laying down one fortune cookie with their bill.

The Doctor and Rose had found a tiny restaurant off the beaten path in Charleston. It was a curious place, small and cramped with mismatched Formica tables and chairs. It served an eclectic mix of food, which turned out to be delicious.

“No worries,” the Doctor reassured her. The waitress smiled gratefully and walked away. Rose took his hand across the table.

“One fortune for us both, yeah?”

“Yeah,” the Doctor grinned. “One fortune, better with two.” He leaned across the red table and impulsively kissed Rose.

When the kiss ebbed away, Rose plopped back down on her chair and demanded, “Well, open it!”

He grinned in anticipation and with a flourish, he cracked open the cookie and pulled out a strip of paper. He laughed happily, reading aloud, “Many pleasurable and memorable adventures are in store for you.”

Rose smiled broadly. “Of course they are, my Doctor.” He leaned across the table again, but instead of meeting him in the middle she stood and came to his side, extending her hand. She pulled him up and there they met, snogging enthusiastically.

The waitress cleared her throat, then smirked as the Doctor and Rose jumped apart. “Y’all are adorable,” she snickered.

The Doctor handed her the bill and some money, with a smile, told her to keep the change.

The fortune came true seconds later when a small boy crashed into the Doctor and Rose at a run. A small group of people rounded the corner, in pursuit. “Blimey, are you okay?” Rose asked as she helped him up.

“Matthew, don't ever run off from us like that again!” the woman demanded.

“Is this your son?” The Doctor asked. “Why is he running from you?”

“I saw the ghost! I wanna help him! And now he's gone and you won't believe me!” Matthew yelled at the woman.

“You've seen a ghost?” the Doctor asked.

“We went on a ghost walk last night,” Matthew’s father explained. “Matthew claims he had a ghostly experience.”

“I saw it! It was blue and glowy and really skinny and he just wants to go home!” Matthew turned to the Doctor. “Can you help me?” he beseeched.

“Well, I'm the Doctor. And this is Rose Tyler...and we're experts on...strange things.”

“Are you ghostbusters?” Matthew asked in awe.

“Something like that,” Rose answered.

“C’mon, Matt, we've spent enough time bothering these nice people. Let's go. Our horse and carriage ride is in ten….”

The boy interrupted his mother. “But the ghost! I saw it!”

The Doctor knelt down, getting on eye level with the upset child. “So it's skinny and glowing and blue. Where did you see it?”

“Oh, come on,” his brother groused.

“Let him tell,” the father ordered. “Maybe he'll finally drop it!”

“He was hiding in that hotel where I hadda go to the bathroom. He told me he was lost and he wanted to go home! Daddy scared him off,” Matthew gave his father a sour look. But I saw him just a minute ago! Over there…” Matthew pointed and Rose looked in that direction, seeing nothing unusual. The Doctor, however, was staring over Matthew’s shoulder.

“You go with your family, Matthew,” he said. “I think I can help. Don't miss your carriage ride.” He looked up at Rose, his eyebrow arched.

“Please help him,” Matthew begged.

“We’ll do our best,” the Doctor promised.

Reluctantly Matthew followed his family, looking back at the Doctor and Rose.

“What did you see over his shoulder?” Rose asked as the Doctor took her hand and began to jog toward an alley.

The Doctor smirked. “Something blue and glowy, reflected in that window across the way.” He took out the sonic and activated it.

“Matthew saw something,” she stated.

“Indeed he did.”

“Not a ghost, I'm assuming.” She stopped him before they could get far into the alley. “You don't think….”

He shook his head. “No Cybermen this time. Or Gelth, for that matter.” Rose sighed in relief. “I'm thinking Queliri.”

“Really, were you now?” Rose asked with a smile.

He grinned at her, the excitement practically radiating from him. “Yep, peaceful, plant eating, gaseous creatures who love to sing. Particularly show tunes, but that's because a colony from Quelirius IV established itself temporarily in the West End in the prime universe. Who knows, they could be rappers here!” The Doctor laughed gleefully.

“Where is he? And are you sure that's what this is?

“I'm sure. They have a very unique telepathic ‘fingerprint’ as it were, and I'm definitely detecting that. They're drawn to sonic waves.” He raised the sonic and activated it again. “So he will likely come to us.”

“I can get in touch with the Torchwood team from Atlanta. They specialize in this sort of thing.” She started to pull out her phone.

The Doctor bristled. “He’s not a threat and he doesn't have anything they'd want, so no. I can handle this. All I have to do is some jiggery-pokery on that transformer over there and use the electrical impulses to form a transmat. No interference from damned Torchwood required. And no Torchwood-induced trauma for the Queliri. Or sudden death.”

Rose crossed her arms and glared at him. “They won't do any harm!”

He rubbed his eyes in frustration. “I can literally get it done in the time it'd take you to get them called in,” the Doctor growled. “If I can't do it, then call ‘em. But give me a chance first!”

“Fine, but if there’s any issue at all…”

“I said I'd let you call ‘em in!” he spat.

“Oh, you'd _let_ me. Thanks for the permission.”

“Rose, that's not what I….blimey, there he is!”

In the end, the sonic drew their “ghost” out of hiding. The Doctor spoke Queliri, and he was able to get the correct coordinates programmed into the transmat he built with Rose’s help. 

To top it off, they saw Matthew’s family riding by in the carriage. The Doctor gave the boy a thumbs-up. He was rewarded with a huge smile. The Doctor turned to Rose, smiling triumphantly.

She wasn't smiling. Despite successfully returning the alien, the Doctor felt as though he likely failed with something much more important to him.

“Why don't we head back to the resort,” Rose suggested. He nodded, quite unsure of what to say to her. They returned to their car and began the trip back in silence.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is inspired by something that happened on my family's trip to Charleston when our younger son was six. We went on a ghost walk, which stopped in a hotel. While my my older son and I listened to ghost stories about the hotel, my husband took the younger one, Matt, to the bathroom, where Matt swears to this day he heard a ghostly voice. (It was a one-seater bathroom, and he was alone, so the Fox Mulder in me says who knows, maybe it's true.). I've been wanting to write a story in which the Doctor and Rose help a young boy with a ghost problem for ages.


	5. Sand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor and Rose need to work out the disagreement they had after returning the alien home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For TPP's Summer Fic Bingo prompt "sand".

  
The ride back to the beach was quiet. Rose turned on the radio, the music filling in the awkward silence between the two of them.

_Ah, just say something, dumbo_ , the Donna-voice in his head ordered. He had no idea what to say. He began to ramble. “So, all four of the Beatles are still alive and perform together in this universe? Brilliant! Wish we could've seen the ones in the original universe, though, but perhaps we'll get to see them here. Or not, considering that we were pretty rubbish at making it to concerts before.”

Rose gave him a small smile and nodded. “We tried,” she commented.

He hoped that wasn't a commentary on their relationship.

The Doctor sighed. “Rose...I think we need to talk about what happened back there.”

“Let’s take a walk on the beach when we get back,” she suggested.

It didn't escape him that some of their worst moments had taken place on a beach. He found himself agreeing anyway, fervently hoping that this wouldn't be one of them.

*****

Upon their arrival at the resort, Rose and the Doctor took their souvenirs up to their room and changed into swimsuits. He got an all-too-brief glimpse of her pink halter-top bikini before she covered it with a white cover up.

She held his hand as they walked down the boardwalk to the beach, and he took that as a hopeful sign.

It was still hot but the breeze made it tolerable. He watched the progress of a cruise ship on the hazy horizon for a bit, trying to think of what to say.

He found himself babbling about the sand, even while his inner voice told him to just _shut up, spaceman._ “I don't mind the sand, y’know, even if it is gritty and tends to get into everything.” _Oh, lovely, now you sound like that Skywalker bloke in that horrible prequel. Wizard._ “The sand here is soft, though, quite brilliant. I imagine you could make a wonderful sandcastle with this. Do you want to try?” _Did I just ask her if she wanted to build a sandcastle? Really?_

Rose stopped, taking both of his hands. He swallowed, trying not to think about how this would the moment she politely told him to sod off. His face fell as he braced himself for the rejection. He looked away, not wanting to see it in her eyes.

She let go of his left hand to cup his cheek and draw his eyes back to hers. He chanced a look at her and saw warmth there, and a bit of hope bloomed.

“I hated Torchwood when I got trapped here. Hated everythin’ it stood for, hated the people workin’ there. Hated Pete for a while too, but he wormed his way into my heart. I still had a hard time accepting that he ran Torchwood. But they had tech I wanted and needed to get back to you so I played along. I made nice with the tech people and they taught me the things I needed to know. And yeah, I trained with guns and learned self defense and how to attack if necessary. I always wondered what you'd think of that, if you'd be disappointed in me for it.”

“Rose, I'm proud of you. You...you're brilliant. I know you did what you had to do,” he interjected. “I will always be proud of you.”

Rose gave him a sad smile. “That's good to know. It is. I don't feel that way anymore, because after awhile, I realized I had to do it. It was tough for a long time, missin’ you and trainin’ and goin’ to school part time. Got my A Levels, though. And a college degree.”

The Doctor beamed at her. “That's my brilliant Rose Tyler. She eats impossible for breakfast.”

“Thanks, but I'm not tellin’ you all this to brag. I want you to know that I learned about Torchwood along the way. Pete and Jake worked hard to change the organization from the inside. Mickey was brilliant. By the time I joined there'd been a huge change in their values and direction they take with aliens. I wouldn't think to call Torchwood in if I had any reason to believe it would turn out badly.”

“I get that, Rose. I do. It's gonna take me time to trust this Torchwood, Rose.” He kissed her hand. “And maybe….part of my objection had to do with...the fact that I wanted to have an adventure with you. Just the two of us. Sarge and Lewis, together again, rescuing lost aliens and helping little kids.”

“I didn't think of that,” Rose admitted. “Wish I had. M’ sorry I didn't.”

“I'm sorry I insulted you,” he told her, smiling sadly.

“I understand why you'd object. If you don't want to ever consider workin’ there, that's fine. You don't have to. But Doctor,” she began, looking him straight in the eye. “If there's a situation I can handle with Torchwood...because I know they'd be the best for the job...please respect that. I know what I'm doin’.”

“I know you do. I trust you with my life, Rose.”

“And I trust you with mine.” They kissed gently. “So….” Rose said, smiling, “It really was pretty brilliant, helpin’ the kid and sending the alien home. Just like old times, yeah?”

The Doctor beamed. “I felt like me again, Rose. And it was..fantastic.” He said the last in a Northern accent and Rose laughed. He embraced her, lifting her feet off the ground. “We’re okay?”

“We are. No matter what disagreements we have, Doctor, I'm still yours. Forever, remember?”

“Still yours,” he agreed, kissing her.

 


	6. Sex on the Beach

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor and Rose have cocktails and contemplate taking their relationship to the next step.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For TPP's Summer Fic Bingo prompt "Sex on the beach." If you're looking for smut, you won't find it here. (Just a lot of love and innuendo.) I'm pretty rubbish at writing these kinds of scenes, but I still couldn't resist the prompt.

All in the course of one eventful day, they'd gone sightseeing, bought a hat that reminded him of him fifth self, rescued an alien, had an argument, resolved the argument, and won the resort sandcastle contest. (They'd built a sand police box. It was brilliant.)

They'd also decided they were tired of waiting, tired of holding off on the intimacy they both wanted.

All through dinner, the tension (the good kind of tension, the kind of tension that made the blood fizz in his veins) had built in heated stares and her feet wandering a bit under the table.

Along with that tension, another, not so good type had taken hold in him. Anxiety had taken root, and he worried about it being the right moment, the perfect moment, to make love to Rose. He didn't want to just take her back to their room, disrobe, and have at it. Even though it would have been a relief for both of them, he didn't want it to be that kind of experience.

As a result of his anxiety, the Doctor had become a bit twitchy during dinner, sloshing his water and nearly jumping out of his skin when her foot began to explore his calf, moving ever higher.

His widened eyes fixated on the first thing he noticed, which was the drink menu card on the table. And that made him blurt out the first thing that came to his aroused, anxious mind.

****

“Pardon?” Rose pulled her sunglasses down her nose to look at the Doctor. Surely he couldn't have just said….

“Sex on the beach. Do you want some?” He appeared to be serious.

Rose’s brain stuttered, unable to formulate a reply. After years of unfulfilled sexual tension and all the dancing around the subject they'd done since arriving in Pete’s World, _that_ was how he was approaching the subject? Granted, they'd all but agreed to it while snogging in the park, but she didn't expect him to be so blunt.

The Doctor’s ears turned bright pink, the rest of his face rapidly following, after realizing what he'd just uttered. “The cocktail. There's a special at the tiki bar and….”

Rose, tired of messing about, decided to smile seductively and answered, “I've always wanted to try that.”

The Doctor’s eyes grew large, (and dark), as he asked stammered, “Which one are you talking about?”

“You figure it out,” Rose said with a tongue touched grin.

He grinned back, dazed, and wandered away.

It was a while before he came back, long enough for Rose to become quite disgruntled, wondering if he was running away again. She was almost ready to get up and look for him, ask him what exactly was going on in that big Time Lord brain of his, when she saw him.

He approached her with two orange, fruity cocktails. She tried to hide her disappointment. He told her, “Go ahead and enjoy your drink. I have something to show you when you're finished.”

After they drank the cocktails, he took her by the hand and lead her down the beach to find a secluded cove. “I saw this when we were walking down from the hotel. Tonight...I could...create a bubble of privacy with the sonic and..if you were interested, mind you...we could have both. Well, of course, we've already had one...the cocktail type of sex on the beach….but if you would like the other….”

She cut his ramble off with a slow, deep kiss that made them both wish the cover of darkness came sooner. “I want,” she murmured breathlessly. “Do you?”

“Oh, I do, Rose Tyler. I want to be with you where the stars touch the sea, my love. Completely with you.”

She smiled, “I am loving this romantic streak, Doctor.”

“I'd like to think I always have had one. But the stars touching the sea...I saw that on a plaque in the little hotel shop. Thought it fit.”

Rose burst out laughing and kissed him again. “I can't wait until dark.”

When the sun finally set, the beach was deserted they sneaked down to a small area off the main path. The Doctor carried a blanket.

It was in a little cove off the path, surrounded by sea grass where the Rose and the Doctor tumbled onto their blanket. “This okay? Not the most comfortable….” he began, suddenly nervous.

She rolled to her back, pulling him over her. She cupped his cheek and murmured, “It’s perfect. You found the perfect place and I love it. I love you.”

“I love you,” he whispered. Then he kissed her slowly and deeply and passion overtook his nerves. The waiting was finally over and they were bared to each other, body and soul.

No one passing by would be able see or hear a thing. And as they discovered all the ways to touch each other that made them moan or cry out the other’s name, they were very thankful for the privacy.


	7. Stargazing / Paradise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the afterglow of their encounter on the beach the Doctor and Rose stargaze in their own little paradise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For TPP's Summer Fic Bingo prompts "Paradise" and "Stargazing", which I think might give me a bingo on the board! I hope you enjoy the fluff.

  
They lay entwined on a large blanket in the little secluded cove, Rose’s head resting on the Doctor’s chest. He reveled in the feel of her warm, sweet body pressed intimately against his. It was dark enough on their little corner of the beach to reveal a sky alight with stars. He gazed at Rose instead of the sky, listening to the waves crash against the shore. “I wanted so much to give you the perfect experience, to the point of being too anxious to do anything at all. Lucky thing I spied that drink menu when I did.”

Rose snorted. “You had nothing to worry about. Anything we did would have been perfect. You succeeded, though. This is paradise.”

“You deserved perfection after waiting for so long. Why did we wait at all, Rose? Why didn't I just take you in my arms as soon as I met you, when I had the ears and the leather?

Rose caressed his cheek. She was sure she knew the answer, and that he did as well, but he needed to work it out for himself. “Would you have wanted to make love to me before? In the prime universe?”

He kissed her gently, then said, “I wanted. Oh, how I wanted. Being the last of the Time Lords meant I could set my own rules. There were no pompous asses in red robes there to judge me for loving a human. So that wasn't stopping me. No, I managed to get in my own way. When I told you of the curse of the Time Lords, it wasn't just me making excuses. I was truly afraid of how much it would shatter me when I lost you. I kept my distance trying to protect myself and in the end I lost you anyway. And then once we ended up here I'd half convinced myself that you wouldn't want me.”

His voice broke a bit on the last word. Rose could see the glimmer of tears in his eyes, and she pulled him down to her, kissing him deeply. When she pulled away she wiped a stray tear from his cheek and looked him in the eyes. “Doctor. I can't imagine ever feeling that way. I know this isn't exactly what we expected. I will always want you. And I'm so glad we decided to smash those eggshells.”

He grinned from ear to ear, quirking his eyebrow. “It was pretty smashing, wasn't it.” Rose burst out laughing, and he joined her. It was a heady feeling, and he finally understood what humans meant when they said their hearts were soaring. His felt like it was hurtling through the vortex without a TARDIS. After a bit their laughter ebbed away and they held each other close, loving the feel of skin on skin.

“S’ beautiful out here,” Rose murmured.

“You're beautiful right here,” he answered, pressing a kiss to the crown of her head. Rose smiled and kissed his neck. He hummed happily.

“It's been ages since I could look at the stars and enjoy it. Before, we were travelin’ and I thought all the wonders out there were much more impressive. Then we were apart and all I could concentrate on was gettin’ to you and figurin’ out where the stars went…..”

“And now what do you think?” He was anxious about her answer. It would be quite a while before they could travel this universe.

“S’ wonderful. I think I've learned to appreciate what I have here, right now. I've not traveled this planet at all. I think we'll stay quite busy enough until our TARDIS is ready. There's a lot for us to see and do. Travelin’ with you, I love it,” she echoed those words she'd spoken so long ago on New Earth.

“I love it, travelin’ anywhere with you,” he said, grinning. “And it won't be that long until we're out there amongst the stars. But until then….I'm quite satisfied where I am. Right here, with you, under these stars.”

She shifted then, rising up so she could kiss him, slowly and deeply, doing a thorough job of it. It didn't take long for the kiss to become heated, and she straddled his thighs. He pulled her against him. Right before he closed his eyes in bliss, he caught a glimpse of her, with thousands of stars in the background. It was all he'd ever wanted. 


	8. Sand Everywhere

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There are consequences to their encounter on the beach....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This epilogue fulfills the "Sand everywhere" prompt from Doctorroseprompts.

In the wee hours of the morning the Doctor and Rose sneaked past the front desk, grinning at each other, unable to stifle laughter. They were disheveled, after having spent the night making love on the beach. Rose inadvertently made eye contact with the night manager at the front desk, who smirked. Rose felt her ears grow hot. The Doctor, looking delectable, (and recently shagged), winked at Rose. Rose rolled her eyes, laughing. So much for keeping a low profile.

Once in their room again, they made the discovery that they'd brought back quite a bit of the beach with them. “Don't think I'll ever get the sand out of my hair,” Rose lamented, shaking her head. Sand rained down onto the carpet. “We were on a blanket and still we're covered in it!”

“It's not the sand in my hair that's the issue,” the Doctor grumbled, adjusting his trousers. Rose burst out laughing. It didn't take long for the Doctor to follow suit.

“Was worth it, though I got sand in my knickers,” Rose sighed, still giggling.

“It was brilliant,” the Doctor enthused, pulling Rose to him. “I've wanted that with you for so long….”

“I'm glad we both got what we wanted,” she said, stroking his cheek. He kissed her palm, but suddenly, that wasn't enough contact.

The Doctor leaned in to kiss her. He could still taste the salt air on her lips and feel a bit of gritty sand in her hair. Once they broke apart to breathe he murmured, “I have a solution for all this sand.”

Rose grinned cheekily. “Do tell.”

“Well….” he drawled. “Seems a bit irresponsible of us to waste water. We could...possibly, you know, if you're amenable….”

Rose pulled away with a laugh and announced, “Last one in the shower is a rotten egg!”

They were in the shower for quite a while, so the actual amount of water conservation was debatable.

Before they checked out of their hotel to arrive at the next destination, he bought Rose a souvenir in the little shop to commemorate happy memories made on the beach. The wooden plaque read, “I want to be with you where the stars touch the sea.” It had a place of honor on their bedside table.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the end! This story helped me work through some writer's block, and helped me get a fic bingo! Hope you enjoyed it!


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